Means for facilitating reference to and reading of books and the like



Nov. 21, 1933. H. A. THOMSON 1,936,489

MEANS FOR FACILITATING REFERENCE TO AND READING OF BOOKS AND THE LIKEFiled Dec. 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 21, 1933. H. A, THOMSON MEANSFOR FACILITATING REFERENCE TO AND READING OF BOOKS AND THE LIKE FiledDec. 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sumwwtm W M, m J 5 W m J m w: fl F Wu H WW Z a 7, z a a 6 -L m f Patented Nov. 21, 1933 MEANS FOR FACILITATINGREFERENCE TO AND READING OF BOOKS AND THE LIKE Hugh Alexander Thomson,Kensington, London, England Application December 23, 1929, Serial No.416,127, g

and in Great Britain December 27, 1928 Claims.

This invention relates to means for facilitating reading of or referenceto books and-the like, and has among its objects to provide a'simple andeffective construction of such means whereby 5 a book, such as areference book, may be held or supported in an open position and wherebya particular sequence in the reading of pages or passages in other booksmay be indicated, or particular pages marked for reference. E Accordingto the present invention, I provide a holder for a reference or otherbook comprising a pair of fiat parts of suitable shape adapted to beattached to the cover of the book and to engage with the pages thereofto hold the book open at the desired position, the two parts beinghinged together by means of a hinge pin capable of limited axialmovement in the parts of the hinge, and having at its lower end'asuitably bent extension or pivoted part adapted to afford a support forthe book to enable it to stand upon a table or other flat surface, andalsoadapted to engage with a socket or the like at the upper end of afitting applied to the back of another book, such as a text book. Meanssuch as a projecting fitting upon one of the hinge parts, also a slotadapted to engage respectively with the laterally extending part andbent part of the hinge pin are provided for preventing rotation of theholder about the hinge pin when supported from another book and whenoperating on a table in the'manner described. Conveniently, the holderis attached to the book cover by means of press-button or similarfasteners and the cover may be of the kind that is separate from thebook. The respective hinge parts may be provided with suitable stops todetermine the extent to which the parts of the holder can be opened,while a spring or frictional device may be provided, for example, uponthe hin e pin to engage with the parts of the holder to ensure that theyremain in the position to which they are set.

The invention also comprises means for indicating particular pages orpassages in a book,

such as a textbook. For this'purpose, according to the invention, theframe or memberprovided with the socket for the reception of the bentportioniof the hinge pin of the holder before described is adaptedtoextend at the back of the bookand to be held or fixed thereto,preferably detachably, in any suitable manner, the frame or member beingprovided at each end with a metal loop or rim extending at right anglesover the top and bottom of the book in position adjacent the back orbinding thereof. Means are provided whereby the distance apart of themetal loops or rims may be increased or decreased for the purpose Ofengaging with or disengaging from? a number of markers extending betweenthe page of the book and having hook-shaped parts at their extremitiesadapted'to' co-operate with the metal loops or 'rimsi Means such as aspring catch or the like may be provided to maintain the metal loops orrims apart, in which position they may interlock with the markers sothat, on release of the spring catch, the metal loops or rims arepermitted to approach one another to the necessary extent to enable themarkers to be 'moved or set in'diiferent positions in thebook. The frameor member referred to may beheld to the back of the book by means suchas an india rubber band passing over or around thefram'e or member'andbeneath the cover or flyleaves:

of the book. At the upper end the frame or member may be provided with asocketor other means adapted for the reception of the .bent portion ofthe hinge pin or other co-operating part of the holder before described,so that it is thus possible to refer to or read from two books whileusing only one hand and with the minimum of incon-' venience. Inaddition, the means described for marking particular pages or passagesenables all the markers to be locked in their respective posi ticnssimultaneously and to be as easily unlocked when it is required tochange their positions.

' The invention is hereinafter described by way of example withreference to the accompanying diagrammatiodrawings, in which:--

Figure l is a side elevation of a combined holding and marking deviceaccording to the invention;

Figure 2 is a front view Figure 1; r

Figure 3 is a side elevation showing the holding device. for a referenceor like book adjusted so as to support the latter upon a table or otherfiat surface; Figure 4 is a cross-section on the line 4 4, Figure 2,drawn to an enlarged scale; Figure 5 is a top plan view, also on anenlarge scale, of the fitting for attachment to a text or like book'andprovided with a socket for the support of the holder for a reference orother book. Figure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Figure '7is a rear elevation of the foldable holder shown in Fig. 2 in frontelevation. Figure 8 is a detail section taken longitudinally of thelatch. Q

In carrying the invention into'effect according corresponding toaccompanying diagrammatic drawings, a holder for a reference or otherbook consists of two similar parts or wings 1, 2 of flat sheet metal orother suitable material hinged together and conveniently curvedoutwardly at their upper and lower ends. At the upper extremities of theparts or wings 1, 2, stud members 3 of snap pressbutton fastenings maybe provided to engage with corresponding socket members 4 fitted to theinside or outside of a removable or separate book cover 5 which may beof leather or other suitable material, the hinged parts 1, 2 beingattached to the cover 5 in such position that the hinge is substantiallyin alignment with the fold of the cover. Upon reference to Fig. 2, itwill be understood that the cover 5 is of a well-known form, havingpockets at its ends to receive the sides of a book binding wherebyvarious books may be interchangeably fitted in the cover. The lowerparts of the wings 1, 2 are suitably shaped or bent to enable them to beengaged over the pages of a book 6, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,at the position at which it is desired to hold the book open. The partsor wings 1, 2 are hinged together by means of a hinge pin '2 which isadapted to slide in the hinge to an extent determined by a head ordiverted part 8 at the upper end of the hinge pin and by a bent part 9at the lower part thereof. At the lower part the hinge pin is bent backupon itself to a suitable extent so that this bent part 9 may extend atthe back of the cover parallel with the hinge, and the hinge pin isthenbent at right angles so as to provide a rearwardly extending part 10. Ifthe hinge pin be moved upwards, the bend 9 will engage a slot or notch11 in one of the parts 1, 2 at the bottom of the hinge, the stem 10 willthen support the bookholder in the proper upright and slightly inclinedposition upon a flat surface, such as a table, as shownfm Figure 3. Whenthe holder is not in use the extending part 10 of the hinge pin isbrought round to the front of the holder and, by pushing the hinge pinup to its limit of movement, it may assumea concealed and hence aninoperative position between the leaves of the reference book. The pinextension 10 may be pulled down from amongst the book leaves anddisposed in front of the lower part of one of the wings 1, 2 and, at itsextremity, engaged with a marginal portion 12 of the wing whereby itwill be retained in the operative position as shown in Fig. 2. Theportion 12 is adapted at its underside for engagement with the laterallyextending part 10 of the hinge pin for the purpose of preventingrotation of the parts or wings 1, 2 upon the hinge pin when thedownwardly extending bent part 9 thereof is held in the hand or isfitted into a socket 13 or the like in a supporting member 14 attachedto another book 15 as hereinafter described. The hinged parts 1, 2 areprovided with stops 16 on opposed parts of the hinge to limit the extentto which the parts may be opened, and a coil spring 1'7 or other meansmay be provided to cooperate with the hinge pin 7 and with therespective parts or wings 1, 2 to take up any slack in the hingeconnection and thereby to ensure sufficient friction to maintain theparts in the position in which they are set;

The lower part of the wings 1, 2 are formed with rearwardly bent tonguesor offsets 12a adapted to afford recesses for the reception of the loweredge of the cover 5, and also are formed with forwardlybent likeelements 12b arranged to engage with the lower edgesof the pages of thebook 6 to hold it open at the required position.

For the purpose of marking particular pages or passages in a text book15 or the like, a number of markers 18 are provided comprising membersconveniently of thin sheet metal, celluloid or other suitable material,each of which members preferably consists of a straight part having ahook-shaped extension or eyelet 19 at each end and an integral laterallyextending bar or part 18a having a reference numeral or letter at itsextremity. The markers 18 are inserted into the book at the desiredpositions so that the main parts thereof extend between the pagesadjacent the back or binding, it being understood that the hook-shapedextensions or eyelets 19 project from the top and bottom of the book insuch manner that the openings or gaps 20 therein are rearwardlydirected. The frame 14, which may be constructed of sheet metal or wireor other material, is applied to the back of the book and held theretoor fixed thereon in any suitable manner. allel wire members spaced apartat the'ends and at an intermediate position by crosspieces, or, asshown, may be made of sheet metal. One end of the frame is bent intooblique angular relation to the main portion of the frame and has itsedges rolled inwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, to form flanges or the socket13 in which is engaged and frictionally held the bend 9 of the hingepin, as will be understood on reference to Figs. 1 and 2. This bent endof the frame is fixedly provided with a loop 21 or rim of suitable shapearranged to extend across the top edges of the book and to engage withinthe hook-shaped parts or eyelets 19, as shown in Figs. 1, the loop orrim being of a sufiiciently small diameter to pass through the gaps 20in the hook-shaped parts or eyelets 19. If desired, this loop or rim maybe integrally formed with the parallel wires constituting the frame. Atthe other end of the frame 14 a similar loop or rim 22 is provided andis so mounted that .it may be moved towards and away from the other loopor rim 21 to a limited extent. For this purpose the ends of the loop orrim 22 may be mounted on a member 23 which is slidable upon the adjacentend of the frame 14, and the loop or rim 22 may be drawn towards theother loop or rim 21 by a suitable spring 01' springs 24 which also mayserve to secure the book 15 to the frame 14. The member 23 has a bent orangular formation corresponding to the inclination of the end 13 of theframe so that the ends of the spring 24, passed through the loops 21-and22 and engaged around the bent or angularly disposed elements as shownin Fig. 1, will be held by the bent elements and tend constantly to drawthem together. Upon reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 6, it will be understoodthat the back of the book 15 rests on the frame 14, with the sides ofthe book extending at opposite sides of the frame, and the spring 24,whichv may be a strong rubber band, is engaged around the elements 13and 23 and over the back of the book, with the leaves of the bookpassing between the sides of the spring. The markers 18 may be providedin such number as may be desired within the capacity of the loops 21 and22. A suitable stop 26 is provided to limit the downward movement of theslidably mounted loop or rim, and a catch 25 of any suitableconstruction, preferably actuated by a spring 25a, is provided wherebythe loop or rim 22 may be locked in its lower position. Conveniently,the

The frame 14 may consist of two par-.

arrangement is such that when the catch is released so that the loops orrims 21, 22 are in the nearer position, the markers 18 may be freelywithdrawn from engagement with the loops or rims 21, 22 and replaced indifferent positions as desired, while, when the slidable loop or rim 22is moved outwardly to the extent determined by the stop 26 and is lockedin this position by means of the catch 25 referred to, the markers 18cannot be withdrawn from their positions owing to the engagement of thehook-shaped parts or eyelets 19 with the respective loops or rims 21,22. The socket 13 adapted for the reception of the bent part 9 of thehinge pin of the holder before described is arranged at the top of theframe 14 so that the reference or other book 6 carried by the holder maybe supported in position above the book 15 provided with the marking orindicating means.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the detailsof construction hereinbefore described. For example, the holder referredto may be constructed of celluloid or any other suitable material, whilethe frame for locking the markers in position may be formed in any othersuitable manner and otherwise provided with relatively movable partsadapted to engage the markers in the manner and for the purposespecified.

What I claim is:

1. A holder for a reference or other book comprising a pair of flatparts of suitable shape adapted to be attached to a book cover and toengage with the book leaves to hold the book open at the desiredposition, the two parts being hinged together by means of a hinge pincapable of limited axial movement in the parts of the hinge and havingat its lower end a suitably bent extension adapted to afford a supportfor the book to enable it to stand upon a table or other flat surfaceand also adapted to engage with a socket or the like at the upper end ofa fitting applied to the back of another book such as a text book.

2. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hinged parts are slottedso as to engage the bent part of the hinge pin when the latter isarranged to support the book upon a table or the like for the purpose ofpreventing rotation of the holder about the hinge pin.

3. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or both of the hingedparts of the holder are suitably shaped or provided to co-operate withthe bent portion of the hinge pin in such manner that when the holder issupported in the socket at the upper end of the fitting appli d to theother book, the holder is prevented from rotating about the hinge pin.

4. A holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hinged parts are providedwith suitable stops to determine the extent to which the parts can beopened.

5. A holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein a spring or frictional deviceis provided upon the hinge pin to engage with the hinged parts to ensurethat they remain in the position to which they are set. v

6. For use in connection with a holder for a reference or like bookaccording to claim 1 a fitting comprising a frame or member adapted toextend at the back of a text or other book and to be held or fixedthereto, preferably detachably, such frame or member having a socket atits upper end for the reception of the bent portion of the hinge pin ofthe holder for the reference or like book.

'7. A bookholder comprising a frame provided at each end with a loop toextend across the top and bottom edges of a book in position adjacentthe back or binding thereof, means whereby the distance apart of theloops may be increased or decreased, marking members detachably engagedwith the loops and adapted to extend between the leaves of a book, and arubber band passing around the ends of the frame adjacent the loops andover a book inside the covers thereof to attach the frame to the book.

8. An attachment for books comprising a frame provided at each end witha lateral marker supporting loop to extend across the top and bottomedges of a book in position adjacent the back or binding thereof,adjusting means whereby the distance apart of the loops may be increasedor decreased, andv means connected with the adjusting means and framerespectively and extending through said loops and over the book insidethe covers thereof to maintain the frame in engagement with the book. 7

9. An attachment for books comprising a frame adapted to it the back ofa book adjacent the binding thereof and having terminal loops arrangedto extend across the top and bottom edges of the'bcok, means extendingthrough the loops and over the book inside the covers thereof andconnected with the frame to maintain the frame in engagement with thebook, marking members cletachably engaging said loops, and adjustingmeans whereby the distance apart of the loops may be increased ordiminished to retain the marking members on the loops or permit removalof said marking members therefrom.

10. An attachment for books comprising a frame provided at each end witha laterally projecting marker supporting loop to extend across the topand bottom edges of a book in position adjacent the back or bindingthereof, one of said loops being adjustable longitudinally of the frame,and resilient means connectedwith the frame and said adjustable loop andpassing over the book inside the covers thereof to maintain the frame inengagement with the book.

HUGH ALEXANDER THOMSON.

